With Patrick leaving, there's lots of interest in being the next governor

Wednesday

Feb 12, 2014 at 6:00 AMFeb 12, 2014 at 9:43 AM

So far there are nine declared candidates for the office of Massachusetts governor, to be decided in November, 2014.

By Daniel G. PetersenPatriot Ledger State House Bureau

BOSTON - In November, Massachusetts voters will elect a new governor for the first time in eight years in what promises to be a gubernatorial race filled with both mainstream candidates and outsiders from a variety of political persuasions.Nomination papers for legislative and statewide elections became available Tuesday from the Secretary of State office. So far, nine people want to be the next governor.

Falchuk is running as the founder of the United Independent Party, which he describes as a moderate party that supports socially progressive and fiscally sensible government. If his party gets at least 3 percent of the vote in November, then it will be recognized as an official party in Massachusetts.

But the main action is likely to come from veterans of state politics, such as Republican Charlie Baker, his party's 2010 gubernatorial candidate, and Democrats Attorney General Martha Coakley and state Treasurer Steve Grossman.

Other less well-known Democrats running are Juliette Kayyem, a former Homeland Security official in the Obama administration, pediatrician Don Berwick and health care executive Joseph Avellone. Challenging Baker for the GOP nod is small business owner and tea party member Mark Fisher.

In addition to Falchuk, there are at least two other independents running, Scott Lively, an evangelical pastor, and Jeff McCormick, co-founder and managing partner of the Boston venture capital firm Saturn Partners.

Falchuk said that more than half of eligible voters are unenrolled in either major party, a fact he attributed partly to a feeling of lack of connection to what happens on Beacon Hill.

"We need to talk about specific issues," Falchuk said. "People are pretty tired of voting for the lesser of two evils."

He was in Quincy earlier this week, and has been speaking with voters outside of supermarkets and at senior centers on the South Shore.

Both Falchuk and Berwick say they have been impressed with the energy they have felt while meeting people on the South Shore.

"I've been impressed by the amount of interest in the political process," Berwick, a former director of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said. "I thought people would be tired and jaded, (but they're) empowered."

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